Rhoda Baxter: “Have a fantastic Christmas and raise a glass to a wonderful year in 2017! May you get lots of joy and chocolate and books.“

AnneMarie Brear: “As 2016 draws to a close, I’d like to take this opportunity to wish all the readers who supported me and my book, Where Dragonflies Hover, this year! Merry Christmas and a safe and happy 2017! ”

Jan Brigden: “Thanks for your fabulous support this past year. Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas and much joy, peace and good health for 2017 (and the occasional choccie or two, of course …) Enjoy the festivities!”

Angela Britnell: “To all our wonderful Choc Lit readers here’s wishing you a peaceful and joyous holiday season and the best of everything for 2017 including all the books you can read and an abundance of chocolate!”

Sheryl Browne: “Wishing all our lovely readers a very merry Choc Lit filled Christmas. Your support over the year has been wonderful. Thank you! I hope Santa is kind to you and that all your dreams and wishes come true. Cosy up and keep safe everyone!”

Clare Chase: “Wishing you a very happy, cosy Christmas and a wonderful 2017!”

Victoria Cornwall: I hope you have a wonderful, laughter filled, Christmas which will leave you with memories to cherish for years to come.

Christina Courtenay: “I wish you all a wonderful Christmas with everything and everyone you love, including of course loads of chocolate and plenty of time for reading your favourite books! Enjoy!”

Kirsty Ferry: “Wishing you all a happy, healthy and wonderful 2017.Hope you wake up on Christmas morning to joy, peace and a Santa Sack full of books, chocolate and your favourite tipple!”

Debbie Flint: “Well it’s my first Devon Christmas, helping out at a writing retreat venue in Sheepwash and aiming to get the biggest tree ever! Here’s a xmas joke for you – what do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire? Frost-bite! hehe! Have a lovely festive season!”

Kathryn Freeman: “Christmas – a time to relax, to indulge. Whetheryou’re turkey or goose, chocolate or champagne, Christmas films or a sack full of books, I wish you all a very happy Christmas.”

Janet Gover: “I hope you enjoy the festive season. Take time to be with those you love.And don’t forget to treat yourself to something special – you know you deserve it. Thank you for all your support this year, and may 2017 be filled with peace and joy for you and yours.”

Henriette Gyland: “Happy Christmas, or Glædelig Jul which is what we say in Denmark. In the face of tumultuous and terrible events across the world wish to remember that Christmas is the time for love and kindness. And reading. Lots of it!”

Linn B. Halton: “I’ve asked Santa for snow this year – enough to allow us all to wake up to a white Christmas morn, but I’ve also asked that it doesn’t hang around long! If he can’t deliver a brief winter wonderland treat, then I’m sending you all a Christmas hug. I hope that it’s a time of great joy and happiness for one and all.”

Liz Harris: “2016 will soon be but a distant memory. Hopefully, it’s been a fabulous year for you all, and is leaving behind it nothing but good memories. And, equally hopefully, 2017 will be even better for you, with all the wishes that you wish for yourself coming true. A happy, healthy 2017 to you and your families, dear readers.”

Laura E.James: “Wishing all our readers a happy and peaceful Christmas and a wonderful New Year. Thank you for reading, reviewing and enjoying our Choc Lit books. In my opinion, it’s the best gift an author can receive. xx”

Margaret James:“A very happy, peaceful and contented Christmas to the friends of Choc Lit all over the world who support us in so many ways – by buying or borrowing our books, blogging, Tweeting, leaving posts on Facebook and reviewing, to name just a few. We appreciate all you do for us and hope to entertain you for a long time to come! Very best wishes for a great festive season and a wonderful 2017.”

Jane Lovering: “Wishing everyone a happy HobNob dunking, marshmallow toasting, Tony Robinson watching day! Although if you don’t like any of these things, I wish you a Happy Christmas anyway…all the more for me!”

Linda Mitchelmore: ”Happy Christmas to you all. I hope you will have a wonderful time, spending Christmas in whichever way you choose. I also hope there will be a little window of time to curl up with a Choc Lit novel – or two – somewhere warm with a glass of something festive.”

Berni Stevens: “Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas, a happy healthy 2017, and many fabulous hours of reading.”

Christine Stovell: “Wishing you love, kindness and generosity of spirit, not just for Christmas but throughout the year.”

Sarah Tranter: “Merry Xmas and a fabulous 2017 to you all!”

Evonne Wareham: “Good wishes for a happy Christmas, with good food, good company and good books, and some time to read them! I’m aiming to have a fabulous year in 2017 and I wish everyone the same. See you then!”

Merry Christmas everyone, Happy Holidays! Thank you for all your fabulous support in 2015. We look forward to sharing more exciting releases and fabulous Choc Lit books with you in the new year.
Love from the Choc Lit Team x
(Lyn, Lusana, Jane O, Liz, Jane E, Marie, Jessamy)

And now a message from our Choc Lit Santas:

Juliet Archer: ”As Jane Austen said in Emma, published 200 years ago this month: ‘This is quite the season indeed for friendly meetings. At Christmas every body invites their friends about them, and people think little of even the worst weather.’ I wish you all a wonderful Christmas and New Year, with lots of ‘friendly meetings’ and as little as possible of ‘the worst weather’.”

Rhoda Baxter: “Wish you all a fab holiday season with lots of chocolate, cake and nice warming books to read. See you next year.”

Zana Bell: “Meri Kirihimete (Maori) everyone and many best wishes from New Zealand. May you all have a wonderful festive season. ”

AnneMarie Brear: “Wishing everyone a very merry Christmas, (a perfect time to read good books) and a safe and healthy 2016!”

Christina Courtenay: “I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Have a peaceful, relaxing holiday hopefully with lots of time for reading! Thank you all for your support this year and here’s to a fantastic year in 2016! Christina xxx”

Kirsty Ferry: “Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas and a happy, healthy 2016. I hope you enjoy a festive season filled with cake, chocolate and a multitude of good books! Love from Kirsty xxx”

Kathryn Freeman: “Christmas – a time to relax, to indulge. Whether you’re turkey or goose, chocolate or champagne, Christmas films or a sack full of books, I wish you all a very happy Christmas.”

Janet Gover: “May Christmas be a time of joy for you and yours – and I hope 2016 will be a wonderful year filled with love and laughter.”

Henriette Gyland: “Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May 2016 be filled with love, laughter and good books to read.”

Linn B. Halton: Wishing everyone peace, love and happiness this Christmas time, and a wonderful start to 2016! Linn x

Liz Harris: ”Wishing you everything for 2015 that you wish for yourself. May it be a year filled with health, happiness, chocolate and, of course, books!!”

Melanie Hudson: “Wishing you love, light and oodles of laughter this Christmas.”

Laura E.James: “Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas and a 2016 that’s overflowing with good health and great books.”

Margaret James: “Merry Christmas, readers and writers, and may 2016 be a wonderful year for you all.”

Kate Johnson: “I’d like to wish everyone a very happy festive season and offer my best wishes for the new year.”

Margaret Kaine: “I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas whether you are spending it with family or friends, or have chosen to be on your own surrounded by chocolates, wine and good books. May I wish you both good health and happiness throughout 2016.”

Jane Lovering: “Wishing everyone a happy HobNob dunking, marshmallow toasting, Tony Robinson watching day! Although if you don’t like any of these things, I wish you a Happy Christmas anyway…all the more for me! JANE X”

Sally Malcolm: “Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas, and a New Yearfull of adventure!”

Alison May: “May your festive season be joyful and filled with books, chocolate and all good things. Happy Christmas one and all.”

Linda Mitchelmore: “Happy Christmas to you all. I hope you will have a wonderful time, spending Christmas in whichever way you choose. I also hope there will be a little window of time to curl up with a Choc Lit novel – or two – somewhere warm with a glass of something festive.”

Lynda Stacey: ”May your Christmas sparkle with happiness, surprises and above all else, good health. Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a fabulous 2016 xx”

Christine Stovell: “Nadolig Llawen! Merry Christmas one and all. Here’s wishing you everything you would wish for yourself.”

Sarah Tranter: “Merry Xmas and a fabulous 2016 to you all!”

Sarah Waights: “Wishing all Choc Lit readers a fabulous Christmas and as much romance and chocolate as you can handle in the year to come.”

Evonne Wareham: “Happy Christmas – Nadolig Llawen – and health, happiness and lots of good books for everyone in 2016.”

Nicky Wells: ”Frohe Weihnachten und ein Gutes Neues! ~That’s “Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year” in my native German, and I’d like to wish you both of those with all myheart. May your Christmas sparkle and may your 2016 be filled with love, laughter and happiness. Xx”

Wishing all the readers, reviewers, Tasting panel members and bloggers who have supported us this year a very Merry Christmas! We look forward to sharing our 2015 releases with you all soon In the meantime, here are some festive messages from some of the Choc Lit Santa clauses alongside a reminder of some of those beautiful 2014 covers …

Rhoda Baxter:“Have a wonderful Christmas with lots of chocolate. May 2015 be full of laughter and more chocolate.”

Christina Courtenay:“God Jul – I wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a fabulous New Year! Hope you have lots of time over the holidays to relax and read!”

Kirsty Ferry: “Have a wonderful Christmas and a peaceful New Year. And eat lots of chocolate, obviously! Love from Kirsty xxx”

Kathryn Freeman:
“I hope Father Christmas brings all our lovely readers a sack full of books – and a stocking full of chocolate. Happy Christmas and very best wishes for 2015.”

Janet Gover: “I hope your Christmas is filled with the people you care most about. And that all the presents under your tree are book shaped (except for the ones that are the shape of chocolate or possibly Champagne.)”

Henriette Gyland:“God Jul og Godt Nytår, which is the traditional Christmas greeting in Denmark where I come from!

Liz Harris:
“Wishing you everything for 2015 that you wish for yourself. May it be a year filled with health, happiness, chocolate and, of course, books!!”

Melanie Hudson:
“Merry Christmas!”

Amanda James:
“Have a fabulous Christmas and New Year! Here’s to a 2015 full of great stories.”

Laura E.James:
“Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas and a happy, healthy and prosperous 2015, filled with love, laughter and literature.”

Margaret James:“A very happy Christmas to everyone. May magic often happen and 2015 be good to you all in every way.”

Kate Johnson:
“The weather outside is frightful, but our books are so delightful! Here’s wishing you all a merry Christmas and a happy new year.”

Margaret Kaine:“Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas with your loved ones, with lots of books under the tree and even some time to read one! Enjoy!”

Jane Lovering:“So many books, so little time! Wishing you a happy and peaceful Christmas.”

Alison May:“Happy Christmas. I hope your festive season is filled with love, chocolate, books and merriment.”

Linda Mitchelmore:“Wishing all my readers – past, present, and future – a wonderful Christmas. May there be love and warmth in your home, food on your table, a glass of something to lift the spirits, joy in your heart, and a quiet corner to sit and read a good novel.”

Sue Moorcroft:
“I hope that you have a joyful and peaceful Christmas … with time to read!”

Berni Stevens:
“Wishing you all a magical Christmas and a wonderful 2015. Happy reading!”

Christine Stovell:
“Nadolig Llawen! Merry Christmas from west Wales!”

Sarah Tranter:“Have the most wonderful Xmas and may your 2015 be chock-a-full of happiness.”

Sarah Waights: “2014 will always have happy memories as ‘the year I published my first novel’ thanks to the lovely Choc Lit readers’ panel who were kind enough to like it. I hope that all you Choc Lit readers have had an equally brilliant year, that Santa brings you everything on your list and that you have a happy 2015 with LOTS of reading and LOTS of chocolate. X”

Evonne Wareham:“I hope everyone manages to find some time over the holiday to curl up with a good book. Happy Christmas!”

Christine Stovell’s up next! Today we finally get to meet the elusive Mark.

In a plane somewhere above Bulgaria, Mark lifted his eye mask to a scene of wild, rowdy revelry reminiscent of a Bacchanalian rite.

‘What the—?’

All around him passengers had loosened inhibitions along with their seat belts. Some were embracing, others swayed in their seats and waved their arms above their heads looking blissed-out and a few – who he was sure had been strangers before they’d boarded the plane – were snogging as if they had only minutes to live. His mates, Dan and Robbie, wearing tearful smiles, clapped each other on the back and exchanged manly hugs whilst Tim and Adam, raising little plastic wine glasses, drank toasts to two hot blondes across the aisle whose beaming expressions radiated pure unalloyed joy.

What the heck was going on? He must have dropped off after all. He’d pretended to be asleep at first, but only because he didn’t want to field any teasing about Meg. Especially not on his birthday. Meg. What a cliché! What a chimp he was! Of all the women in the world to choose from, why had he fallen for his sister’s best friend, the girl who’d witnessed every mistake he’d ever made and would only ever see him as Katie’s annoying brother?

Suppose he’d gone along with the ‘surprise party’ – what then? Would Meg have agreed to dance with him or let him hold her? Nope, more likely she’d have told him he had a stray nostril hair, rocked with laughter and disappeared with another man. She wasn’t even bothered by the mention of Lola-Rose, the stripper. He didn’t want Lola-Rose though – even if she hadn’t been a made-up ruse to make Meg jealous – he wanted Meg. And Meg thought he was a complete joke. If only there was something he could do to impress her.

Suddenly Mark became aware that a frantic air steward was mouthing something at him and realised that not only had he been asleep for far longer than he’d reckoned, but that he was still wearing his headphones. He removed them and was instantly regaled by singing, laughter and new couples billing and cooing like reunited turtledoves.

‘You didn’t have the prawn vol au vent, did you sir? You were sleeping when they came round, weren’t you?’

‘What?’

The steward wrung his hands. ‘That damned catering company. First they spin us a line about one of the catering staff losing the five-carat diamond from her ring in the pastry and then we get the truth. Turns out they used contaminated prawns. We’ve got a major case of Vibrio lascivibundus on our hands!’

‘Vibrio what?’

The steward broke off for a moment to extricate himself from a middle-aged woman with a coquettish smile who was trying to remove his tie.

‘FPB – otherwise known as Frolicsome Poop Bug. The symptoms present themselves initially by inducing feelings of intense well-being in the sufferer, an overpowering sense of affection towards others and a tendency to inappropriate flirting.’

As bugs went it didn’t sound too bad to Mark. Some inappropriate flirting would certainly take his mind off Meg.

‘And then comes the stomach pain, cramping, bloating, gas and—’ His words were muffled by a matronly passenger clasping him to her bosom and kissing the top of his head.

‘Let’s hope we get to Dalaman before those later symptoms arrive,’ Mark said, fervently.

‘Ah, I’m afraid there’s a slight problem with that,’ said the steward coming up for breath. ‘London’s the only airport equipped to deal with an outbreak like this. We’re turning the plane round.’

Bloody great, thought Mark. Not only was he not going to get his week in the sun trying to think about any woman except Meg, but any moment now the cabin air would be filled with something much worse than happiness.

‘You’d better tell the pilot to put his foot down,’ Mark said, trying to smile. ‘This could get messy.’

‘It already has. The pilot and co-pilot both ate the vol au vent. I’m afraid it’s all down to you and me now.’

Christine Stovell was born in Epsom, Surrey and now lives in Wales. Winning a tin of chocolate in a national essay competition at primary school inspired her to become a writer, an ambition she neglected for far too long thinking she had to have a proper job. After graduating from UEA, she took various jobs in the public sector writing research papers and policy notes by day and filling up her spare drawers with embryonic novels by night. Losing her dad to cancer made her realise that if she was ever going to get a novel published she had to put her writing first.

Setting off, with her husband, from a sleepy seaside resort on the east coast in a vintage wooden boat to sail halfway round Britain provided the inspiration for her novel Turning the Tide. Christine lives on the beautiful west Wales coast where long-distance running helps her plan her plots. Half marathons, like novels, both begin with small steps. Christine’s novels include Turning the Tide, Move Over Darling and Follow a Star.

1. Bill Blythe. Bill’s the hero of Follow a Star, coming out next year; strong, dependable and, to my surprise, red-haired; I have to say I absolutely adore Bill.

2. Harry Watling. Harry was my first heroine, the girl sitting by a sleepy creek in Turning the Tide. She was so grumpy in her first incarnation that my husband said he wished she’d sail off in her little boat and drown. I toned her down a bit!

3. Location. Penmorfa and Little Spitmarsh both feel like real places to me. It was lovely returning to Little Spitmarsh in Follow a Star.

4. Dogs and Cats. I can’t help it – at least one always sneaks into the story.

5. Laughing at my own jokes – sorry –especially if I know something will tickle one of my daughters.

6. My covers; the internet doesn’t do justice to the cover of Move Over Darling which is a gorgeous colour and beautifully embossed.

9. Putting the world to right. There are dark themes in my novels, but in general I always want to make life better for my characters. George, for example, Harry’s bad-tempered handyman in Turning the Tide is a recovering alcoholic. In real life he’d probably be lonely and homeless, but Harry loves him and gives him a purpose in life.

10. Happy ever afters. It’s romance and I love it when my heroine and hero finally overcome all their obstacles and set off into the future together. Gethin, in Move Over Darling, for example, was a hard man to pin down, but Coralie did it!

Ahhh! It’s that time again!Having just delivered Book 3, it’s time to open a brand new notebook.My notebooks aren’t so much about the writing, but for gathering all those fleeting thoughts, feelings, words, and clippings that will provide the creative compost for the next novel. I really enjoy this stage; it’s like falling in love again and, yes, I know I’ll wonder what the attraction was at some point along the way, but my notebooks serve to remind me of what excited me about the project in the first place.

I can hardly call myself a photographer, but I do carry a camera with me when I’m out, so I’ll start a photo file for the book, too.That way I have a factual record of locations or the changing seasons and can see exactly what that bluebell wood, for example, looked like in the rain.

And then, oooh, there’s Pinterest (http://pinterest.com/chrisstovell/) … I was a bit hesitant at first, but so enjoyed setting up what I call my ‘springboards’ – because they illustrate some of the images and inspiration which provided the ‘jumping off’ points – for Turning the Tide and Move Over Darling, that I set up a secret board for my third novel as soon as I began work on the book.For me, images are a great way to evoke the mood and sense of the story I’m trying to tell… mind you, there are so many lovely pictures out there it can get a bit addictive, so be warned!Anyway, my secret board for Book 3’s no secret any more, but I now have a new board for Book 4 and the perfect excuse to peruse Pinterest in the name of research…

In an article which appeared in last week’s edition of Best magazine, I was invited to say why romance still matters. I didn’t write about extravagant sweeping gestures – it isn’t as if my path has exactly been strewn with rose petals – but about small ways in which romance helps to keep those all-important lines of communication open. The relationships in my novel Move Over Darling founder when couples won’t or can’t talk to each other.

‘Lovely! Just give me a few personal anecdotes, will you?’ said the features editor giving me an example which would have had my children blushing. After doing the mental equivalent of chewing my pencil, I came up with a few illustrations of successful romantic gestures and one, involving an accidental incident of public nudity on my part, that was less well executed. ‘A photo of you and your husband would be nice too,’ said the editor. Gulp!

Despite my trepidation, people in my local supermarket did not point and stare when I went in to buy my copy of Best. My daughters thought the article was great – though my youngest couldn’t resist an ‘Ooh-er, a bit saucy, Mum,’– and my husband tells me I can no longer complain about him as it states in a national magazine that he is Officially Romantic.

I was delighted to be invited to contribute a story for Your Cat magazine. It’s a must for cat lovers and is full of practical advice. The March issue, out now, features money-saving tips for cat owners and there are plenty of entertaining and informative articles on all aspects of cat care.

The March issue also features my short story, Charm’s Way in which a boatyard moggy helps a materialistic go-getter discover life’s true treasures. It’s been beautifully illustrated, too, by artist Mary Kilvert. If you’re a cat lover or just want a quick story fix, why not curl up with a copy of Your Cat today?

Hopeful lovers everywhere will be anticipating the giving or receiving of a token of love on February 14th. A Valentine’s Day engagement can be the ultimate in romantic celebrations or an easy substitute for a more original proposal depending on your point of view, but jewellery remains a popular gift and, if my husband’s reading this, I for one would never turn down a huge sparkly ring just because I was a bit sniffy about the date!

Rings symbolize love that never ends… although if you have any doubts, choose a sapphire; legend has it that a dark blue sapphire will turn pale blue if the loved one is, er, playing away from home! Blue flowers, too, symbolise true devotion, perhaps because the colour was associated with the goddess Hera, the guardian of marriage and fidelity.

Blue roses? Well, maybe not. Red roses have come to be synonymous with love representing both the happiness and – watch those thorns! – the pain. White roses symbolize pure spiritual love whilst black ones, which fortunately don’t exist in nature, mean the end of the affair.

Perhaps Harry, my heroine in Turning the Tide, already knows that anchors are a symbol of constancy, holding the heart safe against the storms of love, but I wonder what she’d make of a bungee jump? Yes, I see that this year you can make your loved one’s heart beat a little faster with the gift of a lovers’ leap tandem bungee jump, but if that’s the only way that love will be in the air, I’ll keep my feet firmly on the ground!

Of course, you don’t need a significant other to take advantage of this year’s very special Valentine’s offer from Choc Lit. From now until Valentine’s Day, there’s a whole selection of Choc Lit Kindle ebooks available from Amazon HERE – some as low as £2.14! Go on, treat someone you love; your lover, your mother, your best friend or yourself!

Last week I attended the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s first meeting of the year.It was a very interesting Question & Answer session with a panel consisting of two editors and an agent.

I’ve been to quite a few of these panel talks and the questions that are invariably asked are “what type of novels are you looking for” and “what will be the next big trend”.Unfortunately, there isn’t a straightforward answer to either.No one can ever predict what the next trend will be as they depend on so many factors and just seem to happen.And as for what type of novels editors and agents are looking for, they almost always say “great story-telling”.

So what makes for great story-telling?To me, a truly wonderful novel has to have a lot of romance and a little bit of everything else – adventure, thrills, danger, history and humour.That’s a tall order perhaps, but some of my favourite books have all that and more!

Whether I’m reading a romance or any other genre, another ingredient that’s very necessary for me is a charismatic hero.If I don’t like the hero, I won’t like the book – it’s as simple as that!Coincidentally, Sue Moorcroft and I will be doing a workshop on how to create compelling lead characters in contemporary or historical novels at the forthcoming Get Writing Conference in St. Albans on 19th February.I’m very much looking forward to that and hope to see some of you there!

What do you consider the main ingredients of a really great story?And would you enjoy a book where you didn’t particularly like the hero?